School Breakfast Program

Photo of children gathered around a large pot of food at school             Child Friendly School (CFS) Dimensions: Health and Nutrition is checked








Associated Documents Available for Download (pdf):
School Breakfast Program Module:    English    Khmer
Problems addressed:
1. Introduction

In many developing countries, rural people seem to not pay close attention to health and hygiene. In addition, many people do not have the financial means to afford nutritious food. Morning hunger causes many difficulties for students trying to learn and results in absenteeism, repetition and in many cases eventual drop out.

Lack of food causes physical weakness, loss of hearing, illness as well as a lack of protection against contagious diseases. In an effort to respond to these problems as well as to improve education, ESCUP has cooperated with the World Food Program (WFP) to establish a School Breakfast Program.

2. Primary Objectives
  • Provide additional and sufficient food to students
  • Reduce illnesses that children suffer from as a result of a lack of food
  • Increase student attendance
  • Reduce student dropout rate
  • Increase students' ability to focus on school
  • Children have good health and there is a reduction in health expenditure in families
  • Children develop good hygiene habits
  • In addition, the school breakfast program tries to foster a good relationship between the school and students' parents/community.
3. Target group

Characteristics of schools eligible for the School Breakfast Program:

  • A school where the majority of parents are poor
  • A school which is far away from the market
  • A school which is far away from a town
  • A school where there is high absenteeism or high drop rate among students
  • A remote school
  • All children from grade 1 to 6 in the selected school
4. Facilitator

The Breakfast Program Management Committee in each school will manage the program with the supervision and support from Cluster-based Management Committee and project staff. The Committee is appointed following an election. The following personnel are included in the committee:

  • Advisor, 1 person, DOE representative
  • Chairperson, 1 person, a chairperson of a School Parents' Association
  • Vice chairperson, 1 person, a vice chairperson of a School Parents' Association
  • Stock-keeper, 1 person, a school director
  • Members, all the school directors in the cluster and the chairpersons of all the School Parents' Associations

The committee identify their individual/specific role to ensure effective implementation and they meet once a month, at the end of each month.

5. Information on Implementation

Program start up

  • The project staff conducts an orientation workshop with the representatives of all target school cluster and community members. The workshop allows the participants to determine the characteristics of schools who are eligible for participation in the School Breakfast Program, to establish School and Cluster Management Breakfast Committee structure and to identify its duties and responsibilities.

  • Once the Breakfast Program Management Committee in each school is established, the committee will manage the program. They conduct a preliminary meeting to discuss about resources and materials (apart from rice, which will be supplied by WFP) which are necessary in order to run a successful program. The materials required would be stove, large soup ladle, container for drinking water, store for food condiments and other resources such as clean water source: well, pond, small lake, firewood, vegetable garden. The list might include such items as pot to boil water, plates, cups, bucket to wash hands and towels, nail scissors and soap, etc.

Key points in program implementation

The following issues related to effective programing will be set as implementing guidelines:

  • The food must be cooked by 6 o'clock each morning
  • Students begin eating at 6:05
  • Eating takes place in students own classrooms supervised by the class teacher
  • Teachers should take responsibility for monitoring activities in their own classes
  • Students must bring their own plate and spoon
  • Before and after eating, students must wash their hands with soap
  • Rice and vegetables must be cleaned, water must be boiled for drinking, water containers should be made available and hygiene must be maintained.
  • Each morning students should receive the following:
    • Rice: 0.1 kg
    • Tinned fish: 0.02 kg
    • Cooking oil: 0.01 kg
    • Salt: 0.003 kg
  • Initially, cooks should prepare the food based on an estimation of student numbers. Thereafter, food should be prepared corresponding to attendance statistics. The quantity of food to be prepared should be in accordance with the number of students who were present the previous day. Teachers are responsible for accurate compilation of these statistics.
  • It is not necessary to prepare food on Thursdays, Sundays, and holidays.
  • Cooks receive an in-kind payment of 1.5 kg per day
  • Teachers should use the Breakfast Program to promote good hygiene and health practices associated with preparing and eating food.
  • The Breakfast Program is implemented in conjunction with a deworming service, as well as provision of Vitamin A and iron tablets to students.
6. Resources Needed
  • Kitchen materials - $125 per set
  • Community training - $2.50 per day per person for 1 day
  • Cooks
  • Rice/Fish from World Food Program